Two Crutches
by learningtowrite1996
Summary: "I'm twenty years old. Finally got some backbone to me, and some respect from my father. And you want me to go crying to him, just because of a little broken bone? What? Oh come on Toothless, it's just my thigh – well – yeah – I see your point..."


**(A/N) Wow I haven't written anything on here in forever. But I just saw HTTYD2 and was hooked haha. This is just a one-shot because I don't really see how it could be longer. Set just before HTTYD2, you don't really need to see the movie to understand, but I think the story might be better if you have seen it. Hope you enjoy! :)**

Summary: I'm twenty years old. Finally got some backbone to me, and some respect from my father. And you want me to go crying to him, just because of a little broken bone? What? Oh come on Toothless, it's just my thigh – well – yeah – I see your point...

Two Crutches

Sometimes I really just think I'm a rebellious brat. I don't want to do anything productive, I don't listen to anyone, and I'm overwhelmingly cheeky. But for some reason, my dad is remarkably proud of every little thing I do. I'll ditch the village for the entire day to fly around, and once I'm home, there he is gushing to everyone about how I'm discovering new lands, building gadgets for myself and the dragons. And I just don't understand. It's been five years and I still can't understand. What was it that made him like me all the sudden? Had I really changed that much?

I think I'm still the same. I'm certainly still as much of the idiot I was five years ago. It's a little much not hearing everything wrong I'm doing and instead hearing,

Isn't he something?

Look at you, Hiccup, you're all grown up.

Most clever boy you've ever seen, eh?

Here he is, the pride of Berk!

What? The pride of _Berk_? I remember double-taking the first time he said that because there was just no way it came out of my father's mouth. How many nights had I laid awake dreaming he would be proud of me? And now I had it, and I loved it. I loved the pang of warmth I got in my chest whenever he praised me. Childish as it is, that's the truth.

That thought about me being childish was my thought that distracted me from realizing that I hadn't latched myself back onto Toothless' saddle after trying out my flying suit again. It also distracted me from noticing the large rock jutting out from the mountains above the river.

Toothless made a squealing noise as he tried to avoid it, and I frantically snapped back into reality. But it was too late. When Toothless saved us both by turning completely to the side and grazing the rock with his belly, I was also thrown off his back.

I was so surprised, and it happened so quick, that my reflexes became slow. We were flying very close to the ground, only about twenty-five feet up. So by the time my brain told me to call out for my dragon, I was already about to hit the water.

Straight on my back.

I hadn't even turned myself to dive or anything.

And it hurt. It shot stinging pain of freezing water from the tip of my head, down my spine and down my legs. Berk's river is of course as wonderful as the place. It's mucky and icy and is completely full of rapids. The water pushed me down, tumbling me in somersaults. My metal leg made it practically impossible to swim correctly. Under the water, flying straight at me was a giant log. It crashed at full speed straight into my upper thigh. Although the water was roaring in my ears, I was still able to hear the thick crack of bone.

I screamed underwater. I screamed and screamed and screamed until I started to choke. And when my head was finally able to break the surface, I was still screaming. Louder than I ever have in my entire life. It echoed off the canyon walls, making it even louder. I couldn't stop. It automatically kept coming out of my mouth.

The pain was literally blinding. My eyes were open but I couldn't see. I couldn't swim. The muscles in my thigh were burning in the frozen river and twisting in agony. The water pushed my head down again, right as I found the sense to cry out for Toothless.

I actually don't even think he knew I fell at first. I had set his tail so he could fly on his own, so thankfully he hadn't fallen with me. But he had definitely heard my scream. I think the entire island heard it.

My second submersion was short. Just as the water started to twist me and get into my mouth and nose, I was jerked upwards. The quick motion of being pulled into the air jarred my leg again. Once again, when I was out of the water, I was screaming.

Now that I look at it, I feel worse for Toothless than I do for myself. Because he had no clue what was going on. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, clearly in agony, when seconds ago I had been fine on his back.

He set me down gently in the snow next to the river. I was breathing so heavily that it was a hair away from hyperventilation. The cold was set to my body at full blast. I couldn't breathe, I was absolutely freezing, my whole body hurt from the fall, and my thigh felt like it was being stabbed with a poisonous spiked sword. Probably makes the top ten of one of the worst experiences of my life.

I could feel Toothless nuzzling me with his nose, prodding me under my chin and at the sides of my face. When I made myself open my eyes and focus them, he was curled around me. I looked down at my leg immediately. It actually looked fine. It wasn't twisted, and there was no bone popping out. But the pain told me that it was definitely broken.

Toothless saw me looking down at my thigh and did the same. He cautiously inched forward and sniffed it, then looked up at me with confusion. I gave him a half smile that probably looked like a grimace. Shakily I held my hand out to touch his nose, and he instantly came forward so we could meet.

"Toothless," I gasped. Talking hurt, drawing breath hurt. "Toothless, I'm freezing. I'm freezing and I think my leg's broken."

His pupils became larger, and I knew he understood somewhat of what I was saying. I clutched my leg tightly as he made a circle of fire around the two of us. Then it went out and he did it again. And again. And again. I felt the heat brush against me, and it felt wonderful. But my entire body was still going numb. In about a minute the only thing I could feel was the dulled, pulsing pain in my leg. I leaned into Toothless' side, and he draped a wing over me, letting out a little cry.

We sat like that for a little longer as I got my breathing under control and lost most of the feeling in my body. My heavy winter jacket was weighed down with frozen water. Slowly I sat up, swallowed my scream when my leg erupted in pain, and began to peel it off. Toothless soon caught on to my intention and pulled it down and off me by the collar. Once my arms were out and the coat was in Toothless' mouth, he tossed it to the side. I stared at it, still shivering.

"We've gotta get back, bud," I said. My voice was raspy and extremely soft. "It's gonna be dark soon, and that's when my dad starts to worry. We aren't too far away."

I reached up for him, thinking I could somehow stand up on my prosthetic and push myself onto the saddle. But the second I tried to go upwards an inch, I fell right back down with a loud cry. Any movement of the lower half of my body shot agonizing pain through me.

Toothless looked distressed at my cry. He tilted his head to the side as I placed my hands on both sides of my face and let out a little moan. Very gingerly, Toothless pushed at my arms so they were over his neck. Once he had me sitting up a little straighter he used his teeth to carefully pull me up by the collar. I slapped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream.

He twisted his neck, and most of his torso, lifting me up onto the saddle. I felt his mouth leave my neck as I shifted myself into place. Everything in my body was completely numb at this point, which was both good and bad. Good because I couldn't really feel my leg unless I moved it. But bad because I was so cold that I was no longer even shivering. Which I knew could turn very dangerous, very fast.

The first think I did was latch myself into the saddle. With shaky hands I grabbed onto my handles, and thought of the easiest way to fix my situation.

I could just see my dad's face when I got back. Irritated. Irritated like he had been when I was seven and had come home with a bleeding forehead after slipping on the ice. Irritated like when I was eleven and broke three fingers when some boxes were too heavy for me and I dropped them.

"Okay, bud, here's the plan." Toothless perked his ears up and turned to look at me. I almost laughed, because it always amazes me how he always seems to know exactly what I'm saying. "We're gonna ride back into Berk, maybe fly past my dad and wave so he knows I'm home. Then we'll go back to the house, I'll tie up my leg – "

At that, Toothless made a little noise in his throat that seemed like he was saying, _wait, hold up..._

"What?"

Another noise. This time his eyes squinted. _You seriously mean you're going to try and take care of this yourself?_

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, bud," a tremor shook through me, and I winced at my leg. "I'm fine. I just need to – "

Toothless jerked his head disapprovingly. _Uh uh. No way. You're being stupid._

"Well what do you want me to do? Go crying to my daddy? Ask him to make everything better? I can take care of myself. I'm twenty years old. Finally got some backbone to me, and some respect from my father. And you want me to go crying to him, just because of a little broken bone?"

Toothless let out a disbelieving noise at that. _Little?!_

"What? Oh come on Toothless, it's just my thigh," another tremor. The pain nearly blinded me again. "Well – "

_Uh huh._

"Yeah – I see your point..." I let out a tired whoosh of breath and laid my head down against his neck. It was warm, and felt good against my face. All my adrenaline started seeping away, causing me to be overwhelmed with fatigue. I couldn't find the energy to lift my head back up. Toothless let out a little whine, and I placed my hand on the side of his neck, softy stroking his scales. "Let's just see if we can get back home, huh bud?" I said quietly. "We'll, we'll worry about things from there..."

I was slipping away. All I wanted was to sleep and sleep. When Toothless lifted his wings and shot up into the sky, that was the final straw for my body. The knife in my leg twisted in agony, blacking out my vision and mind.

OoO

I became aware of frantic voices. Toothless was squirming under me, jostling me back and forth. The wind was no longer rushing through my hair, and we had stopped moving. We were back on solid ground. That meant we were back in Berk. I tried to sit myself up, because people were going to be asking what was wrong and it wasn't that bad. Really.

"It's not that bad," I found myself muttering. The voices became more frantic, and Toothless started growling. My eyes were shut. "It's okay, it's okay."

"HICCUP!"

My eyes opened a fraction. There he was. Huge and red-faced and covered in furs. And I knew I was twenty and a grown up but in that moment I was also exhausted and I could feel the pain in my leg all over again. I lifted myself up a little and reached out for him.

He rushed to me, concern all over his face. "What happened?!" He asked urgently. I opened my mouth, but found I couldn't speak. Something was blocking my throat. Cries from villagers came from all around

"He's shaking Stoick!"

"His lips are blue!"

"Quickly, quickly!"

"All right," my dad said calmly. He knows when to be calm. I like that about him. "All right, now it's all right," I had my eyes fixed on him. He put my arm over his shoulder and set his hand at my waist. I let my head fall back. I could hear him unbuckling the hooks keeping me on the saddle. When he pulled me off, my leg was pulled with it. I cried out.

"What?" He asked quickly, scooping me up like a child. I cried out again. I couldn't help myself – it was automatic. Toothless growled louder. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

I was gasping for air. I think we were walking through a crowd. His booming voice was calling for someone to follow. "My – my – " I clutched at my leg. Why did it_ hurt_ so bad?

"Your leg?" He asked. How did he know? I think I nodded.

"I fell – I fell. It was my – fault – didn't latch – "

"Alright, take some breaths. Gods you are freezing."

I think he started going up some stairs. I moaned in pain. "I can't stand it, dad I can't I can't I can't I can't – "

"We're almost there son, come on now," His voice sounded strained. There went all the pride I had been collecting from him.

He's annoyed with you, I thought to myself. You've ruined everything, now he is irritated.

"Don't talk like that. Why would I be annoyed?" He said sharply.

Had I spoken aloud?

"Hiccup?"

We burst through my front door, a few people trailing behind. My dad set me down carefully onto my bed, trying to pry my fingers from his collar. I hadn't even realized I had been clutching at it.

A sudden, terrible thought came over me. "Wait," I choked. People began to gather around me, my dad staying right by my side. "Wait what're you going to do wait – wait, dad – "

He was crouching beside me, and rubbed his hand over my head, "It's all right son. Don't worry, we'll take care – "

"Don't – don't – " I grabbed his collar again, the movement giving my leg more pain. My dad wrapped his arm around me. "Don't – cut it off. Are you going to? Please, please – "

My dad looked surprised. From outside, I could hear Toothless scratching to be let in. "Cut what off? Your leg? No one's cutting anything off, son. Just relax," He brushed my hair back softly. "Lay back,"

Someone came around to the other side of the bed and set my leg out straight. My scream filled up the whole house. My dad looked sick. I could hear Toothless roaring outside.

"That dragon's gonna set the place on fire," someone said. I think it was Gobber.

"Let him in," I gasped out. There were mingled voices. "Let him in, he doesn't know what's happening. I need him – "

When my leg was moved again, the spikes shot up my body again. With a strangled cry, I blacked out again.

OoO

I was warm when I started to wake. A fire was cracking, and a familiar texture rested under my fingertips. When I moved them carefully I felt rough scales. My eyes flickered open.

Toothless was perched beside my bed, his head underneath my arm. I scratched behind his ear softy, whispering a soft, "hey buddy,"

A chair creaked at my words and I whipped my head around to the other side of the room. My dad was getting up from his spot by the fireplace and crossing over towards me.

"Hiccup," he breathed. I gave a little smile. He sat down with a thud next to my bed. "How do you feel?"

"Better," I said. It wasn't a lie, because I wasn't cold, and I felt more rested. But my leg was still pulsing with heavy pain.

He placed his hand gently on my shoulder. I looked down at it for a fleeting moment, then looked back up at him. He looked like he wanted to say something. I couldn't stand the silence.

"I messed things up, didn't I? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't think – I wasn't thinking. All the sudden out of nowhere this rock – "

"Hiccup," He stopped me. He looked very tired and troubled. Like something had been eating at him for days. Something that he just needed to figure out. His voice was very gentle and it surprised me. "Why do you think I'm proud of you?"

What? The question was so random. So out of the blue. I stared. "Uh – "

"I just want to hear what you think."

"Well, where did – "

"Answer the question."

"How long was I out?"

"Four days. Now – "

"Four _days? _Did I say something while I was asleep?" I asked. "Is that what's going on?"

"Hiccup, focus!"

"It's hard for me to focus, my leg hurts."

His face changed. "Really? How bad?"

I shrugged. "Not too bad. Just on the border of agony."

"Hiccup – "

I shrugged again. "Because I killed that dragon?"

He stopped. "What?"

"Your answer. Because I killed the queen of the dragon's nest, and the whole village thinks I'm something else now."

He sat back in his chair, studying me. And suddenly I realized that I thought I was so grown up but my dad had carried me back home, calmed me like I was a frantic child, and was now by my bed side with his hand carefully on my shoulder. I felt like a little kid again, and realized how much I truly depend on my dad. To always be there, always be that constant. My crutch, the thing I could always fall on.

His face looked a little sad. "I've done wrong by you Hiccup. I can see that. I'm so sorry."

_What? _I must have said something in my sleep. Something that reflected my thoughts earlier. But I didn't want him to feel bad. "Don't – "

"All those times I was disappointed because you were different. I wanted you to be ruthless, but instead you were thoughtful. I wanted you to kill, but instead you wanted to learn. There were all these things I wanted for you because I was afraid you wouldn't make it in the world if you were different." He looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry."

Guilt rose up in my stomach. And for the first time, I really understood. He had just been afraid. Afraid because all he had left in the world was a skinny little boy who couldn't defend himself. He hadn't known any other way to live.

"I – I want you to know that I'm proud of you because you're different. Because you're clever and know how to think. But mostly because you made everyone, me especially, see that. You did it all on your own."

I was speechless. "Thank you," I whispered. He smiled all the way up to his eyes.

His big hand that was nearly bigger than my head messed up my hair. "You're a good boy," He said. Getting up, he patted Toothless on the head also. "Will you be all right if I go down into the village for a bit?"

I laid my head down on my pillow, and glanced at Toothless whose eyes were still tightly shut. "I'm twenty, dad," I said lightly. I turned my head and grinned. "I can obviously take care of myself," He rolled his eyes and nodded to me, catching the sarcasm. It was true, and we both knew it. I couldn't take care of myself. I never would be able to completely. Sure, I could get stronger, but I'd never be big like my dad. I'd grown taller, but that wouldn't be enough. Strength wasn't my gift. But luckily I had a dragon always at my side, and a father who was there to catch me.

As I watched him step out the door, I felt myself hope he would be around for a while. Because what would I ever do without my dad? How would I go on if I somehow lost him?

**(A/N) Please review, let me know what you think! You guys are awesome!**


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